There are plenty of reasons to get creative as a parent . . . . rarely does the straight forward, textbook approach to anything take us completely to where we need to go with family in the mix.

This know your neighbor post is about some creative options you may not have thought about for getting great and affordable healthcare for everyday aches and pains and those chronic issues that just won't respond to basic care.

If I ask you if you are interested in getting a massage, the first thing you might think of is if your muscles are tight. That's what massage is for, right? We all have a tense muscle or two that could use some TLC and we also have two great resources for professional massage right here in the neighborhood that go well beyond working out a few tight muscles.

One of our founding swap shop members, Dana Buhl, LMT, has been providing massage therapy in the Sunnyside neighborhood for many years now. Her in home studio is a calming, soothing place to relax and rejuvenate. She and I often comment on how, for many parents, an hour laying on a table with no one needing anything and nothing you can get up and do is tonic enough even before you factor in the value of a full body massage.

Her prenatal massages are an especially thoughtful baby shower gift or an important part of your own pregnancy.

She teaches couples massage which makes a really big difference in knowing and understanding what really soothes and supports you and your partner – and could save a bundle on other forms of therapy! She's a wealth of knowledge on infant massage too and offers forms of body work to go along with your massage such as cranio sacral therapy to help balance and align those over busy brains of ours.

Several of our co-op members are big fans now of Dr. Carrie Ebling's unique and creative approach to chiropractic. I count myself as one of her grateful patients. Being a mom of two lovely daughters left me with some chronic pelvic issues. She was able to help me make some really significant improvements in in just two visits. That counts in my book as affordable and super timely.

Here's just one sample of the work she can do that I just wouldn't think to ask a chiropractor for . . . if you watched any of the Olympic swimming and diving, you may have noticed a fair amount of "taping" – strips of cloth tape across an athlete's most important muscles groups. Carrie is both a chiropractor and a licensed massage therapist. That gives her a very broad range of options in how to address issues that one approach or the other can quite treat alone. She uses taping as part of lymphatic work that can hold in or hold back the flow of fluids around the muscles for easier healing and better mobility.

Sharing offices with Carrie at Elemental Medicine on Belmont is our Roost sponsor Green Micro Gym's owner, Dan Caplan's favorite acupuncturist, Courtney Giordano. She offers group acupuncture appointments to help her patients save on costs and be able to come in more often. If you would rather come in on your own for a first appointment, just let her know. She is available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and every other Saturday.

One great way to see if Carrie and Courtney's approach to healthcare is a good match for you is to visit with them next weekend at the Belmont Street Fair. If you find yourself passing by the Elemental Medicine sign at a street fair booth, do stop for a bit to thank them for their Roost sponsorship and check out the street fair specials they are offering: half off your first chiropractic visit and 2 Group Acupuncture visits for $29 through the end of October.

Courtney will be doing 15 minute complimentary demo acupuncture treatments at the street fair – now, that's affordable healthcare. If you don't make it to the street fair (or don't want to wait until the street fair), you can mention the swap shop at your first visit for the same discounted pricing at the special offer coupon from the street fair.

Appointments can be made by calling and also on line. The thing I love about on-line scheduling . . . it works 24 hours a day. So . . . when something has you up at odd hours and you want to take some action for your good health, Elemental Medicine is a few clicks away.

We are all only a few clicks away from great local resources. If showing up for a relaxing 30 minutes to an hour of great body work means I'm doing my part to further the local economy, I'm willing to make that sacrifice. How about you?

2915 SE Belmont Street

(across the street from the Bare Bones Cafe)

Read about a local business in our Know Your Neighbor emails and can't remember how to contact them? All our local business sponsors are listed on our web site with a click through to one of our write ups and all their contact info: www.sunnysideswapshop.org .